Awarding the paper credential within the United States and several other countries has historically served as a ceremonial event recognizing an accomplishment. The official proof of that credential/accomplishment has more often than not relied on other official documents, like a University/College transcript, an official government form, and so forth, such that the credential itself has been more for display/ceremonial purposes. However, the paper credential outside of the United States has very much served as the official proof of the accomplishment and is used for a variety of reasons, including employment and for obtaining foreign visas. Official documents within the United States, like a transcript, serve little to no purpose outside of its borders. Additionally, within the United States there has been a lack of recognition by the Credentialer that the paper credential has significant transactional value. The paper credential, for example a diploma, is accepted by many entities in the United States, including not only prospective employers, but also various government agencies and regulatory authorities. For example, State Governments accept a diploma as part of meeting requirements for a medical license. In other countries, including throughout Europe and the United Kingdom, the paper credential is widely regarded as the primary document for establishing an individual's educational background and academic credentials. The overall acceptance of the paper credential has created a market for fraudulent paper credentials, with an estimated $2 Billion worldwide market value.
There exists a need to bridge the gap between the United States and almost all other countries, in terms of what is accepted as the official proof of an individual's credential(s). There is also a need for a paradigm shift within the United States in recognizing the paper credential as having transactional value. Given the presence of the fraudulent credential market, there is also a need to present credentials in a highly secure format that is verifiable through a trusted source. Secure formats protect the Credentialer's credential(s) from fraud and misuse, strengthening the value and goodwill associated with the credential. Providing a verification mechanism enhances the trust that individuals place in the credential.
The production, delivery and authentication of Credentials have historically revolved around the issuance of paper documents, e.g., diplomas, certificates, and so on. The process has involved traditional forms of printing the design, such as offset, thermography, engraving, etc. and personalizing the Credential with the Recipient's credential information using various methods, such as a letterpress or laser printer. The distribution of the paper credential has typically involved either mailing that credential back to the Credentialer for distribution to the Recipient and/or mailing the paper Credential directly to the Recipient from the printing entity. The authentication of the printed Credential has often been as simple as a Recipient presenting the Credential to a Receiving Entity. For more discerning Receiving Entities, either direct contact with the Credentialer, having a subscription with a third party Credential verification service, notarization of the document, or in some cases an Apostille is required for validation of the Credential. These processes are often open to fraud, are expensive, and/or may take a significant amount of time.
In addition to paper credentials, an increasing number of Credentialers are offering various electronic indicia of credentials. These electronic indicia range from near-duplicates in Portable Document Format (.pdf) having various levels of file protection, to web-accessible and ad-hoc generated transcript reports. Acceptance of electronic indicia has been slow and varies depending on the party receiving the electronic indicia. The acceptance of electronic indicia of credentials has been relative slow for various reasons, including, for example, the ease of generating fraudulent electronic documents; the lack of Credentialer interest and resources in developing, maintaining, and supporting an electronic indicia family; the variations in electronic indicia format and the lack of consumer-recognized formats; difficulty in verifying the credential; and absence of wide-spread use.
With the ever-increasing fees for attending College, the four year degree is under pressure, more now than ever, to provide return on investment for its students. Unfortunately, with the proliferation of institutions and associated degrees of all kinds, programs are no longer as well-known as they once were and what the student may have achieved is now often left to the interpretation of the individual, often leading to more questions than answers. Information exists to fill the gap in knowledge and for the University to better educate about the degree in question, providing both the learner and employer, for example, greater visibility into that accomplishment. However, this information is typically fragmented and sometimes stored in separate, isolated systems with no effective and convenient means of distribution and how it pertains to the individual's credential. This Additional Information may include Program Outcomes, Learning Outcomes, Course Information, Co-Curricular Information, skills acquired, experiences earned, or any data points that may be held by the Credentialer, the Credential Recipient, or a third party, that provides better clarity or value to the credential
Credential fraud is a multibillion-dollar worldwide criminal enterprise. The prevalence of state-of-the-art printing resources allows fraudsters to replicate official paper documents down to the affixed stamp, seal, and signatures. The result s a realistic-looking document that can fool even the expert eye. Accidental acceptance of a falsified credential may carry staggering consequences, evidenced by repeated instances of public officials caught in diploma fraud scandals.
Contemporary solutions to combat fraud have been to create secure digital versions of the credential, often presented as a PDF. Commonly known as eCredentials, eDiplomas, and eCertificates, these documents have built-in security so a level of confidence can be attained when viewing (it is often the case that the recipient will be notified if the document is not authentic or has been modified). Some solutions allow the eCredential to be validated at a third-party website or the Credentialer's (e.g., the university issuing the diploma) website using a number that is printed on the eCredential. It should be appreciated that validation services may be provided by a third party or by the Credentialer, depending on the embodiment. In many instances, validation through the Credentialer provides an additional level of confidence that the eCredential is authentic. However, in some instances the third party may be a recognized entity or in a position to give the validating party (e.g., prospective employer) a satisfactory level of confidence. Also, as they are secure and digital, they are highly mobile, meaning the Credential Recipient can email to whomever they choose.
While such contemporary solutions appear to address credential fraud, imagine in 5 years' time, with the proliferation of digital credentials, there are millions of eCredentials that can be found on-line as people have attached their accomplishment to LinkedIn, Facebook, and other forms of social media. Even though an eCredential may be very secure using the latest technology, the only piece of information that links the credential to the recipient is the name on the document—which is not necessarily unique. For example, there are thousands of John Smiths in the world. With the proliferation of digital credentials, all that is required is for a John Smith to find another John Smith with an eCredential and pretend the credential is his.
It is suspected that the next step for fraud will be a website that aggregates as many eCredentials as it can, and sells them to other people with the same name. John Smith the fraudster can buy an eCredential that matches his name, hijacking the credential from the legitimate John Smith, with the possibility of the legitimate John Smith never knowing. The fraudster can email to employers and, in instances where the Credentialer validates the eCredential, the credential will indeed validate—a serious problem.
To date, the inventors are not aware of any existing systems or methods that recognize the transactional value of the credential, generate the confidence needed for the credential's acceptance, and in particular any that overcome the challenges facing electronic indicia of credentials. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2014/0101264 A1 to Dewaele et al., describes generating a secure electronic certificate from information collected and stored in a centralized server, but suffers from a number of flaws. For instance, Dewaele does not address the importance of the electronic certificate's design as it relates to the Credentialer's existing portfolio of credentials. As a result, Dewaele's system suffers from the same problems as contemporary electronic indicia, and consumer recognition and wide-spread acceptance is minimal. Additionally, Dewaele's system provides an authentication mechanism directly through the electronic indicia generator's servers. As a result, either each Credentialer must provide its own verification services, straining the Credentialier's resources, or an unknown and unrecognized third party is providing the validation data. Neither scenario is desirable.
With respect to security of the electronic indicia, Dewaele and other contemporary systems allow the electronic document to be printed, which increases the likelihood of fraud and misuse.
What is needed are secure systems and methods to efficiently generate and deliver large quantities of unique and secure electronic credentials. In addition, what is needed is greater visibility into the credential holder's accomplishments, experiences, and skills expected or received in connection with the credential.
What is also needed is the ability to authenticate an electronic credential that gives the authenticating party the needed level of confidence and assurance that the credential, as well as the credential holder, are authentic and valid.